


Percival and the Beasts

by StarSparkle2403



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Adorable Creatures, Fluff, M/M, Sickfic, Thievery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2019-10-22 10:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSparkle2403/pseuds/StarSparkle2403
Summary: Newt's creatures refuse to leave Percival alone.





	1. Hugo

Percival Graves considered himself a professional. He always kept his work and private lives separate. He was stern but fair with his aurors, and he showed his superiors (though there weren’t many) the due respect.

Newt Scamander was ruining that.

The latest issue in a long list of them was the creatures.

On a good day, Percival found them amusing. On a bad day, they were a menace.

On one of those bad days, Percival was sitting at his desk filling out paperwork. Newt had just left after picking up a creature that had been creeping the halls of MACUSA for a few weeks, and when Percival reached for his pocket watch to check the time, it was gone. 

He scowled and yelled, “HUGO!”

The damned thieving niffler had already taken his grandfather’s cigar case, his signet ring with the Graves family crest, and his mother’s locket. This was the final straw.

Movement at the edge of his desk caught his eye and he turned his head in time to see Hugo tumbling up onto it. He glared at the small creature. Hugo crept toward him sheepishly and offered up the pocket watch.

Percival took it and held out his hand. “The rest of it. Now.”

Hugo’s head drooped as he pulled the other items out of his pouch. He placed them in Percival’s hand. Percival nodded, satisfied, and went back to work.

A few minutes later, he felt something nudge his arm. He looked down and saw a small pile of jewels and gold coins. Hugo was carefully adding a small ruby to it, but froze when Percival’s gaze fell on him.

“What are you doing now?” Percival asked. Hugo chittered and pushed the pile toward him. “Are these for me?”

Hugo nodded emphatically and pushed the pile even closer. Percival just stared at the creature, shocked. Newt had told him during one of his lectures about creatures (although they were more like enthusiastic ramblings) that nifflers never let go of any of their hoard if they could help it.

“Thank you?” Percival said, slightly confused. He picked up the pile, poured it into a small drawstring bag, and put it in a drawer in his desk. He paused before pulling out his old quill. It had broken a while ago, but he had kept it for some reason. He pulled off the gold band that was wrapped around it.

Hesitantly, he pushed the band toward Hugo. “Here you go. I apologize for shouting.”

Hugo took the band, polished it on his fur, and put it in his pouch. Then, he hopped down into Percival’s lap. He curled up into a ball and quickly fell asleep.

Percival watched all this in shock. _“Is that all I had to do to get him to stop stealing my possessions?”_ he wondered.

{+}

“Have you seen Hugo?” Newt asked as he walked into Percival’s office. “He seems to have disappeared again.”

Percival reached down and picked up Hugo, then set him on the desk. “He was being a bit of a menace,” he told Newt. “He was stealing all my family heirlooms.”

Newt looked mortified. “I am so terribly sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He gently lifted Hugo and held him to his chest.

Percival waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry about it. He gave everything back.” Newt’s eyes widened in shock.

“What did you do to him?” Newt asked.

Percival’s eyebrows furrowed. “Nothing? I just told him to give the stuff back and he did.” He opened a desk drawer and took out the bag of jewels and coins. “Here,” he said, holding out the bag for Newt to take. “He gave me these as well.”

Newt peeked at the contents of the bag. “Nifflers only give gifts to those they deem worthy. Hugo has only ever given me his coins and he’s never given away his jewels,” he said in awe. Newt looked at Percival, eyes shining. “You must be really special.”

Pushing the bag back into Percival’s hand, Newt said, “Keep them. Hugo will take offense if you give them back.”

Percival tucked the bag into his inside jacket pocket. “I’ll put them somewhere safe, don’t worry.”

{+}

The next time Hugo tried to steal from him, he gave the stuff back immediately.

“Thank you,” Percival said, putting the cufflinks back on. Hugo chittered at him, pointing at the cufflinks. “Yes, they are the jewels you gave me,” Percival replied. “Thank you for that, by the way. I didn’t have any that went with this tie.”


	2. Dougal

“You’re sick.”

“No, I am not.”

“Go home.”

“I’m fine, Sera,” Percival insisted, standing up from his desk. “I don’t need to go ho-” His knees buckled and an invisible creature caught him.

Dougal materialized as Piquery said, “Go home, Percy. Consider that an order.” When Percival opened his mouth to argue, she turned to Dougal. “You’ll make sure he goes, right?”

Dougal nodded and ushered Percival out of the room.

“How did you get out of the case anyway?” Percival asked the creature.

{+}

“I’m fine,” Percival sniffed, but accepted the bowl of soup Dougal handed him. For a creature, he was really good at making human food. “You can go now.”

The demiguise gave him an unimpressed stare. 

“Fine,” Percival said, picking up his spoon. “But I’m not sick.”

{+}

“Alright,” Percival choked, leaning over a large bowl, trying to ease his upset stomach. “I might be ill.”

Dougal rubbed Percival’s back as his lunch decided to make a reappearance for the second time that hour.

{+}

“Mr. Graves?” Newt called, poking his head through the apartment door. “President Piquery told me Dougal brought you home. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” a pile of blankets on the couch groaned.

“You don’t look fine,” Newt replied, looking down at the pile.

One dark eye glared out from between two blankets. “I’m fine. Dougal makes good soup.”

Newt smiled at the demiguise when he materialised. “He does, doesn’t he?”

{+}

Newt walked into Percival’s office a week later, a bowl in his hands. “I’m sorry to intrude, Mr. Graves, but Dougal wanted me to give you some more soup.” He set the bowl on Percival’s desk and backed away with a smile.

“Tell him thank you,” Percival replied. Newt nodded and turned to go, but Percival said, “Mr. Scamander.”

“Yes?”

“You can call me Percival. If you’d like.”

Newt smiled. “I would like to, Percival. And you can call me Newt.”

{+}

Long after Newt left, Percival still couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face.


	3. The Mooncalves

The first time Percival went into the case, he was blown away. Not only was the spellwork needed to create something of this caliber utterly complicated, but he also didn’t think he should be in there.

“That’s illegal,” he muttered, pointing at the creatures. “That’s illegal. That’s illegal. That’s very illegal.” He shook his head and turned to Newt, who looked a bit worried.

“Are you going to take them away?” Newt asked. “Because some of them need very special care, and others don’t have a natural habitat left, and-”

“I’ll get some paperwork for you to sign.”

Newt’s face lit up. “Really? You would do that?”

Percival nodded and said, “Of course.” As Newt walked away to feed his creatures, Percival thought, _“I’d do anything for you.”_

{+}

The second time Percival went into the case, Newt asked him to feed the Mooncalves.

“Mooncalves?” Percival asked.

“They’re over there,” Newt replied, pointing to a group of strange looking creatures staring at an artificial moon. “They only come out of their burrows on a full moon, so try not to mess with it.”

“Okay then,” Percival said, picking up a bucket of pellets and walking up the short ramp to the Mooncalves’ enclosure. He jumped when they all turned their heads toward him at the same time. “That’s not creepy at all,” he muttered.

When he reached into the bucket, they all came bounding toward him and crowded around. “Hello there,” Percival said, tossing some of the pellets to them. 

Percival chuckled when they began to bob up and down to get their food. The smallest mooncalf came up to him and nudged the bucket. “Do you want some?” He tossed a few pellets to her, but she just came closer and shoved him.

A few minutes later, Newt walked by and stopped when he couldn’t see Percival.

“Um, Mr. G- Percival?”

“Here,” a muffled voice said. A hand waved at him before disappearing under the pile of mooncalves.

“Are you alright?” Newt asked, going over and looking down at the pile.

“It’s a bit hard to breathe,” Percival replied. “But it isn’t so bad.”

Newt smiled down at him before saying, “Off you go,” and shooing the mooncalves away.

“Thank you,” Percival said, grabbing Newt’s hand to get up.

“Well, I can’t have you dying. They’ll take the creatures away then,” Newt replied.

Percival laughed and said, “I’m sure you could find a way to dispose of the body.”

“I’ll just feed it to the nundu.”

They smiled at each other for a few minutes, still holding hands, until a mooncalf came over and bowled them both over.


	4. Pickett

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one for you guys today!

Percival was quite startled the day he found Pickett hiding under the collar of his jacket. 

“Pickett!” he exclaimed, picking up the small creature from where it had fallen. “Don’t hide there! I could have crushed you!”

Pickett chittered at him and hugged his thumb.

Percival placed the Bowtruckle on his shoulder and said, “Now don’t move until Newt comes to find you. Heaven knows what he would do if I let you get hurt.”

Still chittering, Pickett settled down on his shoulder, holding onto Percival’s ear for support.

{+}

“Goldstein!” Percival yelled from the door to his office. “Get in here!” 

Just as he sat back down in his chair, Tina came rushing in. Slightly out of breath she said, “You asked for me, Sir?”

“Do you know where Newt is?” Percival asked.

“What?” Tina asked in confusion. “Newt? What do you need him for?” 

Percival pointed to his head, where a small green creature was peeking out of his hair. “I do not need him in my hair. I have a meeting with the Council in fifteen minutes.” Under his breath he added, “And it tickles.”

Tina smiled and said, “In that case, I think Newt was going down to the vault to check out some creature eggs that were confiscated in the last raid. I can go get him, if you like?”

“That would be wonderful,” Percival replied with a sigh.

{+}

“Sorry, sorry,” Newt exclaimed as he rushed into Percival’s office twenty minutes later. “Tina said you had a meeting to get to but I lost track of time, and-”

“It’s alright,” Percival said, cutting him off. He placed Pickett on Newt’s shoulder. “I still have ten minutes before I have to arrive. I told Goldstein the wrong time, because I know how you hate being late but can’t seem to help it.”

“Oh,” Newt said quietly as Pickett climbed up into his hair. He smiled at Percival sweetly for a moment, before looking away quickly. “I- I should let you get going to your meeting,” he said.

As Newt left his office, Percival didn’t have the guts to say, “I want you to stay.”


End file.
